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balden4325's review against another edition
3.0
The scenes with Stuart are degrading and her "dealing with it" and facing what happened are a long time coming. Nick and most other people involved are clueless and when Nick and Holly fiiiinally get it together you may be sick of the pair of them.
reikifeet's review against another edition
5.0
For me, the story turned out to be secondary to the psychology of the characters. This book made me notice that i often read the action and conversations more closely, but skim through the thought processes. The reason i noticed is because when i went to do that (during a conversation that was interrupted for a pages-long mental soliloquy) it didn't work. Initially that was annoying, but i came to LOVE this book for just those trains of thought. Holly's thoughts and feelings seemed amazingly real, perfectly in synch with many i've had myself! I decided the author must have been through such a thing herself, to have it down so complexly, and yet (having recently come through a different trauma myself) i was *still* stunned at how someone could get it all down with such clarity after the fact, b/c of the so often accompanying mental fog & patches of amnesia.
I was very surprised at the depth of & level of perception in this story!
I was very surprised at the depth of & level of perception in this story!
pussreboots's review against another edition
4.0
Until recently I have shunned "chick lit" but I also don't believe in completely ignoring a genre because of personal prejudice. I chose to read this book for two conflicting reasons that in themselves sum up the book beautifully: the sleek cover art and because of the "tougher issues" addressed in the book.
The book for the most part is a typical chick lit: a thirty year old successful woman in a glamorous job tosses aside her long time boyfriend/fiance for her own shallow insecurities. Having given him the heave-ho she realizes that there are men worse than hers and this realization nearly destroys her business, friendships and self esteem. In the end those around her conspire to get her back on her feet and together with her one true (albeit not perfect) love. Had the book only been about that plot I would have tossed it aside.
Instead Maxted tosses at her shallow and self absorbed protagonist a variety of issues: rape, law suits, unwanted pregnancy, clinical depression, and adoption among others. For all of this crap that Holly is faced with I wish I could say that she follows the title of the book and behaves like an adult. But she doesn't. She repeatedly makes things worse for herself by hiding from the unpleasantries of her life. While at times these scenes are poignant and understandable, after awhile I had to side with Holly's friends and coworkers at their frustration with her behavior.
So why did I keep reading it? I read it for Nick, Holly's much maligned boyfriend and sometimes fiance. The only thing I could figure out is why he kept taking her back but people are stupid about love in real life so I can't quibble. Nick for all of Holly's bitching and moaning is actually the more mature of the two.
The book for the most part is a typical chick lit: a thirty year old successful woman in a glamorous job tosses aside her long time boyfriend/fiance for her own shallow insecurities. Having given him the heave-ho she realizes that there are men worse than hers and this realization nearly destroys her business, friendships and self esteem. In the end those around her conspire to get her back on her feet and together with her one true (albeit not perfect) love. Had the book only been about that plot I would have tossed it aside.
Instead Maxted tosses at her shallow and self absorbed protagonist a variety of issues: rape, law suits, unwanted pregnancy, clinical depression, and adoption among others. For all of this crap that Holly is faced with I wish I could say that she follows the title of the book and behaves like an adult. But she doesn't. She repeatedly makes things worse for herself by hiding from the unpleasantries of her life. While at times these scenes are poignant and understandable, after awhile I had to side with Holly's friends and coworkers at their frustration with her behavior.
So why did I keep reading it? I read it for Nick, Holly's much maligned boyfriend and sometimes fiance. The only thing I could figure out is why he kept taking her back but people are stupid about love in real life so I can't quibble. Nick for all of Holly's bitching and moaning is actually the more mature of the two.
kcarella's review against another edition
2.0
Looks like chick lit, written like chick lit, NOT chick lit. It's about a girl who gets raped and then tries to regain control of her life.
allisonplus's review against another edition
3.0
This book was very different than what I had anticipated. It was emotionally unsettling at parts & sometimes I wasn't sure if I could continue with how the protagonist was dealing (or not dealing) with events in her life.
I thought of Manjit. In his early twenties, Manjit suffered from clinical depression. Nick, trying to be helpful, had suggested that going for a run in the park might help. Wasn't exercise good for depression? No, replied Manjit. Exercise was good if you merely felt a bit low. "If I went for a run in the park," he added, "I'd just be running in the park, depressed."
princessfabulous's review
1.0
Uhh. I hated the denial of the main character; maybe some rape victims respond in such a way, but I just could not get in her corner. I could not relate to anything she did or thought. Also, there was so much going on, with her breakup, her company, her friends and family. It seemed like the author couldn't decide which story to tell. Not my cup of tea!
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